The present invention relates to a machine for producing and filling containers, having at least one heating device for the thermal conditioning of parisons composed of a thermoplastic material, having at least one blow-molding device for the deformation of the thermally conditioned parisons to form in each case one container by way of a blow-molding process or a stretch blow-molding process, having at least one filling device for filling the containers with a product, and having a transfer device for conveying the containers from the blow-molding device to the filling device, wherein, in the region of the transfer device, there is arranged at least one nozzle arrangement for the impingement of a cooling liquid on the containers.
The invention also relates to a nozzle arrangement for a machine of said type.
Blow-molding machines with blow-molding stations for producing containers from parisons composed of a thermoplastic material are known. The basic construction of a blow-molding station for container molding is described in DE 42 12 583. Possibilities for temperature control of the parisons are discussed in DE 23 52 926.
Typically, a blow-molding or stretch blow-molding machine of said type has a discharge path arranged downstream of a blow-molding station, which discharge path is designed for the discharge of the finished blow-molded containers.
Alternatively, it is also known for a blow-molding machine to be operated synchronously with a filling machine, wherein the finished containers are handed over from the blow-molding machine to the filling machine by way of a relatively short transfer path. Often, a configuration of said type is referred to as a blocked configuration, or block machine. In some such usage situations, it is necessary for the containers, which still have residual heat, to be cooled along the transfer path in order to prevent damage and deformation during the subsequent filling process. This commonly applies for example in the case of the filling of carbonic acid-containing or carbonated beverages, in the case of which the containers are generally pressurized in order to prevent foaming of the beverage during the filling process.
Container cooling that may be required is generally performed by way of liquid or atomized liquid. In the case of flush cooling or jet cooling with relatively large droplets or closed liquid jets, it is generally possible to achieve relatively high levels of cooling power if a correspondingly large amount of liquid is used. Through atomization of the liquid, it is possible, depending on the droplet size, for moderate levels of cooling power to be achieved even with relatively small amounts of liquid, though said levels of cooling power may not be adequate for certain applications.
For this purpose, it is known, for example, to use a single-substance nozzle or individual nozzle, which can advantageously be used for flush cooling or jet cooling. Such nozzles however exhibit only limited suitability for the nebulization or atomization of the liquid, because for this purpose, water must emerge at relatively high pressure from the nozzle and be atomized in the static air. Here, there is the problem that the functionality of an arrangement of said type is highly dependent on the size of the nozzle opening, and pollution therefore leads very quickly to a reduction in performance or to failure.
Likewise known is the use of two-substance nozzles, in which the water and compressed air are supplied separately and are nebulized to form a cooling mist by way of a single, generally concentric, double nozzle. The mode of operation of double nozzles of said type exhibits a clear dependency on the ratio of water pressure and air pressure, such that for optimum cooling results, both medium pressures must be carefully set and monitored, or increased consumption of compressed air and water must be accepted. Furthermore, such nozzles are limited in terms of their throughput and therefore exhibit only limited suitability for flush cooling or jet cooling.
With the known solutions, there is the problem in particular that a cooling path must be designed in advance, and can then be varied in terms of cooling power only to a very limited extent.